This invention relates to livestock feeders and the like, and more particularly to devices of the shuttle type for selectively distributing feed or other material along an elongated bunk containing one or more feed lots or zones.
In recent years, various improvements over the old belt, chain and screw type feeder conveyors have been made. One such improvement has been the shuttle conveyor, such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,695,415 issued on Oct. 3, 1972 to Donovon L. Bakker et al and entitled "Feeder for Livestock." In that patent, a reciprocating carriage includes a pair of spaced rollers around which passes a conveyor belt. The belt is anchored so that as the carriage moves, the belt travels across the carriage and dumps feed off one of its ends into a bunk.
Previous shuttle conveyors for feeders, such as disclosed in the aforementioned patent, have been subject to certain disadvantages. Most importantly, these conveyors require that the carriage be moving in order for the belt to function to deliver the feed. Thus, it is not possible to continuously dump feed at a particular location, since the belt ends must always be moving longitudinally during discharge. In addition, the direction of carriage movement dictates the end of the belt from which feed is discharged, there being no possibility of changing carriage direction without changing the discharge end, or vice versa. The prior system has thus been limited in its flexibility of operation.
The present invention eliminates the aformentioned difficulties, while retaining the advantages of the shuttle type feed delivery system.
In accordance with the invention, and instead of anchoring the belt, the belt forms a continuous loop around the carriage idler pulleys, and is selectively and continuously driven from a reversible power driving mechanism fixedly mounted separate from the shuttle carriage. Feed is delivered from an input hopper continuously to one end of the conveyor belt, regardless of the direction of travel of the carriage. The delivery may be made to a feed receiving means such as another belt or to a discharge area or zone. Reversing of the conveyor belt drive provides continuous delivery to the opposite end.
A separate carriage drive, and controls therefor, selectively determines the zone or zones into which feed is delivered. The carriage may be parked at a desired location for continuous feed delivery to a receiving means such as a cross conveyor, a wagon or truck.
A motor may be used to drive the carriage and another to drive the belt, or a single motor may be employed to drive the carriage and belt independently of each other.